Acer Iconia Tab A700 spotted at the FCC

Like high-powered smartphones themselves, Android tablets are on the cusp of a considerable leap forward. A big part of that will be resolution, and Acer hopes to be leading the pack with the Iconia Tab A700. The latest in the Iconia series doesn't have an official US launch date yet, but it's been spotted hanging out at the FCC by Liliputing, which means that it can't be too far off. Any takers?

Like the recently upgraded Iconia Tab A510, the A700 will get a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Ice Cream Sandwich at launch. But unlike the current models, it'll be sporting an impressive 1920x1200 10-inch screen. Capacities come in 32 and 64GB, with HDMI, a USB host port and a 5 megapixel rear camera thrown in for good measure. The battery will be a massive 9800mAh. Right now there' no news of a wireless broadband version (the model at the FCC is WiFi only) but there's no reason there couldn't be.

At this point it's a race between Acer and ASUS to see who can get the first 1080p Android tablet out. Neither the A700 nor ASUS' Transformer Pad 700 Infinity have a firm release date, though late summer is looking pretty likely. These models will naturally carry a premium over their lower-res siblings, with the A700 getting a previously quoted price of €549.